Todd Boehly says he is aligned with Clearlake Capital over Chelsea’s long-term strategy but admits a possible dispute over stadium plans could see them part ways
Todd Boehly believes Chelsea’s owners could go their separate ways if they disagree over the club’s plans for a new stadium. Chairman Boehly and majority owners Clearlake Capital clashed behind the scenes last summer with both sides exploring the possibility of buying the other out.
And while Boehly has since said that he and Clearlake chief Bedhad Eghbali are “aligned on what we’re trying to do”, a possible dispute over whether to leave Stamford Bridge or redevelop may still prove their end game.
“We have to think long term about what we’re trying to accomplish,” Boehly told Bloomberg at a conference in Hong Kong. “We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. And that’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways.”
Asked about the battle for control of the club, he added: “What’s been written and talked about is much more drama than what’s actually happening.
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“The status quo is something that’s just fine. We’ve learned from each other and we’re really going to be able to work it out any which way.”
Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League table with their priority a return to the Champions League for the first time since the new owners took over from Roman Abramovich in May 2022. Boehly believes the club’s value has risen since they paid £2.5bn to take over from sanctioned Russian Abramovich.
And speaking more generally about how things have gone under their tenure, which has also seen more than £1bn spent in the transfer market with a focus on tying down young players to long contracts, Boehly continued: “If you look at the evolution of the team, we’ve been aligned on what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to build.
“It’s a team that’s young, it’s a team that’s got long contracts. All these things were new. In order to do all these things we’ve done, it’s because we’re aligned. There’s core stability and we’re executing on a plan that ultimately will have Chelsea where it belongs. We’re sitting in the top four of the table.”
Chelsea are exploring the possibility of moving to a new site at Earl’s Court and Boehly said: “It’s really complex but it’s not as if we’re building something in the middle of a rural environment. We have a lot of constituencies to care about, certainly the fanbase is one. Long term we’re going to be building something new and we’ll figure it out.”
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